Spirit Animal Garden By Annick Duvivier

song from the sea…4, 2021, handmade paper, shells, metallic thread, 11 x 11 inches, Price: $550

The works that make up the “song from the sea” series celebrate a love of gathering shells. Last summer, the beach where I spent time, had very few unbroken shells, but was covered with these polished, broken slivers. I collected 100’s believing that If this is what the sea had to say, then I would do my best to communicate her song.

I am always searching for a fluid transition between the recognizable and the unknown. When working with paper it is often this use of organic material, transformed when embedded in paper. The ordinary can become jewel-like or corporal or mysterious while the paper itself may morph in a multitude of ways, perhaps into a veil, or a scaffold or even a brushstroke. The resulting works then become stories of the human experience which itself weaves between the sublime and the mundane.

Nina Meledandri, a native New Yorker lives and works in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY. After graduating with a BA from Hampshire College in Film/Photo Studios, she returned to NY and became a freelance photographer, published by the NYTimes Magazine, Architectural Digest, New York Magazine and the Village Voice and others.  In the early ’90’s she taught herself oil painting and began developing her language as an abstract painter.  In 2003 she joined the David Findlay Gallery where she had two solo shows. Subsequently she has shown throughout the City in both one person and group exhibitions.

A cornerstone of Meledandri’s process is daily practice.  As a painter this takes the form of daily watercolors that she has been making since 1996 and as a photographer she has posted to three blogs each day since 2003. For the past five years, her studio practice has revolved around paper making and in 2022, Meledandri engaged in a year long daily paper making project: “The Alchemy of Paper”.  No matter her medium, her work is strongly rooted in her love of the natural world.

Spirit Animal Garden, Mixed media on canvas and frame, 14×14 inches

The Spirit Animal Garden provides a space for us to connect with nature and find peace amidst the pressures of consumerism. The caption encourages viewers to seek balance and perspective, and to prioritize their connection the natural world.

Haitian-Born, Miami-based visual artist Annick Duvivier is known for her mixed media collage paintings.Early on, she took painting classes with the renowned Haitian artist Ralph Allen. Duvivier studied Fine Arts at Altos de Chavon 2008 in the Dominican Republic (affiliated with Parsons in New York).  Soon after she became an artist in residence at Festival arts Gallery, Haiti, and organized alongside Art Historian Dr. Marie-Alice Théard exhibits for more than 25 prominent Haitian artists.She then returned to Altos de Chavon and followed various drawing and paintings courses (2011/2012) allowing her rapid evolution. She is highly skilled at drawing and creates with great freedom of color. She graduated with a BFA in Visual Arts at Miami International University of Art & Design 2019. Her artwork is diverse but has recurring themes of identity, fertility, memory, nature, and a fascination for the human body.She has exhibited her artwork in 4 solo shows: “Energie” (2010) and “The Red Nude Collection” (2017) Festival Arts Gallery, Haiti. “Summer Blooms” at the Kimpton Epic Hotel, Miami Florida (2022), “Closer to Nature” at the Hilton Miami Blue Lagoon (2023) Miami Florida.She has exhibited in group shows across the US in Galleries and Museums including the Museum of Science and Industry.